Business By The Good Book

In the face of economic hardships, one company has found a way to keep things shining.

Office Pride Inc., founded by author and entrepreneur Todd Hopkins, continues to clean up the competition in a market that has been experiencing a downturn.

"We''re meeting the growing demand for affordable, high-quality commercial cleaning services, putting us in a great position to grow in many markets," says Todd Hopkins, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Office Pride.

The idea for this cleaning business began as a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) research project and, for Hopkins, has culminated in a successful business in an industry that rewards a strong work ethic.

He warns those looking to get in to the industry that it is "not for the faint of heart. If you have the three basics — honesty, integrity and a strong work ethic — you can make it if you get the right training and education."

In an industry that has had to face real financial hardships, Office Pride has been able to grow their business using focus, communication and accountability.

By focusing on the things they can control, like their attitude, customer service and their effort to grow, everyone is able to win and stay ahead of the economy.

"While other companies have tempered their sales efforts in response to the economy, we''ve been proactively engaging our customers in discussions about how we can support them through budget challenges," says Hopkins.

Back To Biblical Basics

Office Pride, which stands for "personal responsibility in daily efforts," has built their business on strong Judeo-Christian ideals.

Office Pride uses the Bible as the foundation of the company and infuses the teachings from the Bible into all aspects of the operations, including the training of its franchisees.

"In our franchise training, we include teaching on how to operate a business by biblical principles," notes Hopkins.

Hopkins and his franchisees operate under the belief that their business is a tool with which God has trusted each and every person connected with the business.

As a result, the owners and operators of Office Pride do their best to manage and take care of their business and treat it as a gift.

While Office Pride can teach how to operate a business with the Bible as a guide, they cannot teach honesty, integrity or hard work — three values they look for when franchising the company.

"We are attracted to people who have either management or sales experience and a heart to follow good systems. At the end of the day, our most successful franchisees are those who listen and apply what we teach them," Hopkins points out.

Becoming Ingrained In The Community

Office Pride is different from many other service companies in the way they are structured.

The company does not move itself into a location, but rather expands their holdings through franchising.

They have found that the best way to enter a new market is through a local owner-operator, not by entering a territory blind or by making the territory conform to the company.

Instead, by using the contacts of the local owner, the company is able to conform to the area and its specific needs.

"The quality of work is very high because the local owners have a vested interest in the customers'' satisfaction," Hopkins states.

As a result, Office Pride is deeply involved in the communities that they service, focusing on missions and charities that are of interest to their employees, including youth sports, local churches, food drives, hurricane relief and more.

"I think I speak for all of us, in that our motive is to just do what we believe God has called for and equipped us to do."

Amanda Martini-Hughes is the assistant editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management (CMM) magazine and a graduate of New York University Publishing Institute. She has been part of the CMM team for more than five years, working on both print and web-based projects. She can be reached at amanda@issa.com.